Give Me a Reason
by Zantana
Summary: AU of Naruto, featuring Sakura, and a ONESHOT. I was broken down, built back up, and broken once more. This is my tale, the tale of Sakura Haruno.


**Eh…..I was bored so I'm starting my third story. More like a small one shot. Also, I needed a break from "Retribution" and "The Legend of Exile", my other two stories in work. **

**The theme songs are "Give Me a Reason" by Three Days Grace, "Famous Last Words" by My Chemical Romance, "The Kill" by 30 Seconds to Mars, "Numb" by Linkin Park, "The High Road" by Three Days Grace, and "Too Late" by Dead by Sunrise. If you want, go ahead and listen to them while reading the one shot. It helps give a way to listen to the feelings going through the story. **

**I kind of based this off of actual events from my life…..so don't judge harshly. **

**This is rated M for a reason, so don't read if it you aren't mature enough to handle it. And if you're offended at the religion usage, I'm sorry. **

**IF YOU THINK THIS WILL BE ONE OF THOSE HAPPY HIGH SCHOOL STORIES, YOU'RE DEAD WRONG. **

**This story deals more with depression and loss, as most high school AU's these days are so fucking happy and cheerful and has like next to none events that occur in reality, such as deaths, depression, social outcasts, and so on. And what I mean by that is the fact that most high school fics feature the main character as popular, preppy type. **

**I have never seen one of these stories that have a gothic, punk, or even emo main character. **

**I'm going to change that with this fic, and so you see the darker side of high school and life. That not everything's fun and games.**

* * *

Ever know what it feels to be alone?

I know that feeling perfectly.

All my life I've been betrayed, backstabbed, and now I'm just known as a freak. An outcast. The girl in the corner of the dark room.

My name was Sakura Haruno, and this was the tale of my life.

Originally, I wasn't the way now. But the trauma I have lived through slowly broke me down.

But first, let's go back in time where everything seemed so tranquil, when I was carefree and actually happy.

* * *

~ 10 Years ago ~

_I was 7 at the time, and all I cared about was what dinner was going to be each day. Or all the things little kids cared about. _

"SAKURA!" A girl's shrill scream broke through the air of the elementary school playground. Immediately heads turned towards the two girls weaving their way through the playground equipment. One was a small pink-haired girl clutching a hair bow; she had a large grin on her face as she ran swiftly through the trees. The other girl was a blonde with longer hair that flowed behind her, but she had a playful smirk on her face as she quickly chased the pink haired girl with her hands outstretched.

"Give it back!" Ino shrieked again as she lunged towards the hair bow in Sakura's outstretched hand. She fell to the ground with a loud thump, and she remained motionless on the ground.

Sakura's playful smirk fell quickly as she saw her best friend on the ground.

"I…..Ino…..?" She whispered as she timidly walked towards the fallen blonde.

"Great going, forehead!" A few girls standing off to the side sneered at her, and Sakura felt her eyes grow moist at the corners. "Look! Her face is red!" The girls laughed once more, but Sakura turned away quickly as she felt a single tear fall from the corner of her eye.

What she didn't notice was that a girl stood in the shadow of a tree, watching her carefully with her hazel eyes wide at what she just saw go down the pink haired girl's cheek.

She approached her best friend, hair bow clenched tightly in her small fist, and she knelt beside the blonde. She roughly shoved the blonde's shoulder, but she didn't notice Ino grimace in slight pain as she did so.

"Ino…..? Why are ya sleepin' here?" Sakura whispered to her best friend, when she didn't respond the smaller girl began to panic. Her once large grin had now faded into a grim line on her face, and her eyes that had sparkled with happiness were now dulled to a pale green.

"AHA!" Ino lunged upwards with a triumphant smirk on her face, and Sakura's emerald orbs widened as she gazed down at her now empty hand. "Told ya I could get it!" Ino laughed as she tied her hair back with the hair band, and Sakura watched enviously as she saw her best friend's silky, blonde hair, but Ino was oblivious to Sakura's envy of her.

_I was too young to understand the social classes back then, and the conditions I was living in currently. _

"Mommy said I could get more clothes this weekend!" Ino rambled as Sakura listened carefully, hanging onto every word. She wanted to know how other families reacted through Ino's and Hinata's stories about their daily weekends.

"That's…..nice….." Sakura whispered with a small smile on her pale face. Ino gave a large grin back; she could obviously see the happiness in Sakura's eyes.

The rest of the day was a blur to the two, and much to Sakura's chagrin it was the end of the day. She didn't want to go home to her Dad and Mother. She loved them, but….it wasn't the same as it was with Ino or Hinata.

"Come on Sakura." A brunette said to the small girl, a gentle tone in her voice as she smiled at her daughter.

"Mommy!" Sakura squealed as she hugged her mother tightly.

"Oof! That's a little too hard, Sakura." Her mother whispered through her daughter's monstrous grip.

"Sorry!" Sakura chanted as she pulled back into her car seat with a smile on her face.

_I had truly loved my mother. But it was unfortunate and tragic in the end. _

"What did you learn today, my Cherry Blossom?" Her mother said as she drove past the busy streets of Baltimore.

"Fifty-eight plus twelve equals seventy!" Sakura said excitedly, obviously proud with her mathematics that she had recently learnt that day.

"Those are some big numbers!" Her mother exclaimed as she smiled at her daughter through the small mirror. Sakura's grin only grew larger at the praise, it all had seemed like a great achievement to her.

Much too both their chagrin, they pulled into the driveway of their home.

The Haruno residence was a small, quaint home with a neatly cut lawn. The home itself was painted white, and it had a nice looking brick layer underneath. There was also a single apple tree in the front yard, but it was spring, so there were no apples on the branches. A big disappointment to the children of the neighborhood, but also a joy to climb around.

It was very different to the other homes in the neighborhood, as it was the poorest neighborhood in the suburbs of Baltimore.

Sakura leaped out of the car and with a loud squeal began to climb the single apple tree strategically placed in the center of the yard.

"Be careful!" Her mother called as she grabbed her daughter's book bag with a small sigh and a shake of her head. A small smile graced her face as she stared at her laughing daughter. This was the dream she had yearned for so long, her daughter being happy for once.

_It had been a long time since I had been as happy as I used to be. _

_It was also one of the last moments of happiness I had before everything shattered before my eyes, as if it all were a castle of glass teetering on the edge of reality and fantasy. _

Sakura suddenly stopped swinging on the branch when she saw a girl sitting on the steps of the newly sold home that once belong to the girl named Guren and her family. Sakura could easily recall the mean girl, but she liked playing with her sickly brother Yūkimaru.

"Hello!" Sakura called to the girl, who raised her head out her hands with wide eyes. The girl had brown hair pulled into two buns, and hazel eyes that went perfectly with her rounded face. The girl remained silent as she gazed towards the pink haired girl, and by this point Sakura's mother watched from the living room window.

"Would you like to play with me?" Sakura asked the girl innocently with a large smile.

The girl stared back for a moment, before a small smile came up her face as she got up and walked across the street carefully.

"I'm Sakura!" Sakura cheerfully declared as she put her hand out. "I'm 7 years old!"

The girl stared at her hand for a moment before shaking it. "I'm Tenten. I'm 8." She whispered as she scratched the back of her head with a sheepish grin on her face.

"You wanna a cookie?" Sakura asked as she looked towards her house.

"Sure." Tenten whispered uncertainly.

"Well, come on in!" Sakura grabbed her new friend's hand and dragged her into her home.

"Sakura, who is this?" Her mother asked as she stared at Tenten uncertainly.

"My family just moved in across the street. I'm Tenten." Tenten whispered as she stared at her feet uncertainly.

"Well, come on in and have something to eat!" Sakura's mother smiled at the older girl with a soft, comforting smile as the trio went into the kitchen.

_I made a new friend that day, and it lasted for years. But that peaceful day was shattered at approximately 9 'o clock that night. _

"Goodnight Sakura." Her mother kissed her on the forehead as she pulled the covers up on her daughter to make sure she was asleep.

As soon as the last ray of light escaped the room, Sakura's emerald eyes shot open, and a mischievous grin adorned her pale face.

She tiptoed to the door, and silently opened it and slipped through the small crack. She walked to the steps and sat on the third to last one, just to eavesdrop on her mother's and father's conversation. As she grew bored, she blew on the bangs that she grew out just to cover her large forehead.

_This is when I found out my father's limits when angered. _

_The night he murdered my mother._

She soon heard the front door slam open, and she could see her father violently slam it closed as well.

"Kizashi, you'll wake Sakura up!" She heard her mother frantically whisper to her father.

"Shut the hell up." She heard her father's gruff voice mutter, and a loud smack echoed through the house. Sakura knew that he had done worse to her mother, so she wasn't shocked.

"You've been drinking, haven't you?" Mebuki Haruno whispered harshly as Sakura watched with wide eyes. She had never seen her mother act so venomous before.

"I said shut the hell up, Mebuki!" Sakura muffled a scream as she saw her father's fist connect with her mother's face, and the sickening crack that came with it.

Mebuki sank to the floor with a scream clutching her now broken nose. Kizashi stood above her with an angry expression, and his next actions were what scared the young cherry blossom the most.

"I'm sick of your fucking rambling and complaints! Look at everything damned thing did for a bitch like you and your whore of a daughter! I should kill her right before her eyes!" Kizashi shouted as he kicked the fallen Mebuki with a vicious scowl.

Sakura watched with horrified eyes, but her young, naïve mind wouldn't let her comprehend what was going on in her life.

Mebuki slowly rose from the floor as soon as Kizashi turned his back to do the task he had threatened to do.

"I will not let you harm Sakura! How could you do this to your own blood? Your daughter, your daughter Kizashi! How far have you sunken to even threaten your daughter?" Mebuki pleaded as she grabbed the hand that gripped the knife in his hands. Kizashi stopped and looked at the woman he considered his wife, and Mebuki's eyes shone with hope that her husband came back to reality.

_But, sadly, my mother's moment of hope was shattered instantly. _

"You expect me to think that after all these years that whore is _my_ daughter? Who the hell do you think you are?" Kizashi swore as he drew his arm back, and everything seemed to go in slow motion.

Sakura tilted her head curiously at her father's words, but his next action caused her to gasp quietly from her perch on the steps.

The white carpet slowly began to be tainted red as drops of a crimson liquid dropped to its pure whiteness.

"MOMMA!" Sakura screamed as she saw her mother fall to the ground in a heap, and Kizashi had the decency to pull the knife out of his wife's chest before she collapsed to the ground.

"What did I do?" Sakura heard her father whisper faintly to himself, but she didn't care. She was more worried about her mother lying on the floor.

As soon as Sakura raced down the steps, Kizashi had dropped the knife and fled out of the front door of their small home.

"Sakura…" Her mother faintly whispered from the floor. Sakura fell in front of her mother and hugged her, not caring about the red liquid staining her front.

"Mommy….." Sakura whispered as her mother lifted her into her arms slowly.

"I need you to do something honey…." Mebuki whispered as soon as she felt that it was getting harder to breathe.

"What….?"

"Go to Aunt Tsunade's house. Tell her everything that happened that here tonight. Please….for…..me." She whispered to her only daughter, and she gave a proud smile at how easily her daughter understood the concepts.

"I'll do it, mommy." Sakura promised as she clenched her mother's hand harder. "Pinkie Swear." She wrapped her pinkie around her mother's, and Mebuki couldn't help but to let out a small laugh, but as she did so a small dribble of blood went down her mouth.

"I…love you…never forget me…." Mebuki whispered as her eyes closed for the final time. "Lord….sa….ve…..m….y….so….ul…" Was the final prayer that was uttered out of the once jubilant woman.

Sakura's own jaded orbs widened when she felt her mother's grip go slack in her own. For a brief moment, a flash of what happened with Ino earlier went through her mind.

"Mommy, this isn't funny!" Sakura shouted as she shook her mother hard with tears poking out of the corner of her eyes.

_I was too young to understand what death was. What seven year old knew the exact concept of death at their age? Well, if that is often, I was never taught about it. _ _And how I wished it had stayed that way. _

"Mommy…..?" Sakura whispered as she let go of her mother for the final time. She remembered her mother's orders, but she was reluctant to leave Mebuki there.

She grabbed her stuffed animal name Daisy, and she walked out the door silently, sparing one final glance at her mother.

_I had thought she was sleeping. Oh how I wished it were that way._

She only managed to get to the end of the road until a voice said, "Sakura Haruno? What are you doing out here at such a late time?"

She immediately recognized that voice to be her neighbor, Mr. Kakashi. He stared down at the young girl with uncertainty in his visible eye that wasn't under an eye patch.

Sakura let out a huff and said, "Mommy told me to go to Auntie Tsunade's before she went to sleep on the floor!"

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up, and he had a disbelieving look on his face.

"Well, I guess I should take you there safely, as your mother would never let me hear the end of it with that vicious smack of hers." Kakashi muttered as he grabbed his car keys out of his pocket with a small sigh. Sakura could only giggle as she got into his truck.

_I had arrived at my Grandmother Tsunade's home safely, thanks to Kakashi. But my mother's body was found the next day by the girl who would always walk me to school. Let's get a glimpse into her tale of that unfortunate day._

A girl sighed as she got up from her bed on an early spring day. She slowly walked towards her vanity mirror, and she couldn't help but to let out a groan as she saw how much of a wreck her blue hair was that specific morning.

Amber eyes scanned the room quickly as she found the item she was looking for. Her hairbrush, the perfect type to wrench through her hair and to rid herself of the numerous knots adorning her somewhat short hair.

"KONAN! HURRY UP!" Nagato shouted from downstairs, and Konan's eyes widened as she looked at the clock. It was already 8:16, and she was due to pick up the young Sakura Haruno in exactly 10 minutes for school.

She threw her hair into her usual, messy bun, and she swiftly put on an Aéropostle shirt with leggings on her body. Konan didn't care much for accessories, so she ignored the small box of her bracelets. She brushed her teeth, grabbed her messenger bag, and put on a pair of ankle boots as she rushed down the steps of the home she shared with Nagato and their guardian Jiraiya. But as she passed a room with a door with footballs on it, a single tear fell down her face as she remembered her old friend.

But during her rush down the steps, Konan tripped on the third to last step, and she fell face first onto the hardwood floor. Ironically, she had landed right in front of Nagato's feet.

"'Bout time you showed up." Nagato stated with his ringed eyes staring down at Konan, who grinned sheepishly at her best friend who stared back emotionlessly.

Nagato was the same age as her, they were both 10. But both had been held back a grade with their friend Kisame because of a mistake they had made during class, causing all three of them to fail and be held back.

Nagato was the quieter one of the three, and he was often called Pein for all that he has been through.

Kisame had been the proud one to start that nickname up.

"Let's go." Nagato said again as he started to tap his foot as Konan still lay there a minute later.

"Oh! Right!" Konan said as she leaped to her feet with her messenger bag slung over her shoulder. The two could hear Jiraiya faintly in the background shout at them, but they ignored him and continued walking out into the bright sunlight.

"It's nice to have such a beautiful day after such a harsh winter." Konan remarked as they walked across the street to their neighbors, the Harunos, home. She was folding a piece of paper into her signature origami rose, which she finished at master speed and placed in onto her bun. Surprisingly, it had actually stayed on without falling off. Nagato nodded his agreement as they reached the front lawn, but stopped when they saw a tall, lanky looking girl standing in the doorway. Well, she was tall for her age, but that was a pretty young age.

"Hello!" Konan called out cheerfully. "Who are you?" She questioned somewhat more seriously.

The girl studied them for a moment before placing her Hannah Montana bag on the ground. "I'm Tenten. I'm Sakura's friend, and I just moved across the street. I was wondering if she would like to walk to school with me, but no one is answering the door." Tenten's childish voice sounded extremely worried as she attempted to gaze through the kitchen window to any signs of life.

"Strange…." Nagato muttered as he stared at the door absentmindedly. "Mrs. Haruno never lets Sakura leave without us. Something's odd about this."

Konan sighed as she ruffled through her bag, and a minute later she produced the key Mebuki had given her case of emergency. She shoved the key into the keyhole, and she gasped once she realized the door was unlocked.

"It's unlocked!" She announced to the two standing behind her worriedly. "Stay out here. I'm going to go in."

Nagato looked like he was about to protest, but one glare from Konan was all it took for him to be silent. Tenten didn't argue, but she did look like she was going to pass out.

Konan cautiously took a step into the front hallway and glanced around. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary so far. But she was assaulted by a metallic stench that she immediately recognized from a horror from her past.

'_Blood…..' _ Konan's amber eyes widened as she felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt her legs felt shaky as she pulled open the doors to the Haruno family's living room.

She felt so nauseous, but nothing would come up as she hadn't eaten anything that morning. She wanted to scream, but nothing would come out.

"AAAAAAH!" The loud, high-pitched noise broke through the deadly silence, and Konan couldn't but to wonder who disturbed the peace. But then she realized that she was the one screaming.

"KONAN!" She heard Nagato's worried shout as she heard the hurried footsteps hitting the wooden floor. She heard the hall door open, and then Nagato whisper, "Oh my God…."

"What is it?" Tenten's faint call from the front door came, and Nagato was coming out of his shock and ran out the door.

Konan felt numb inside, and all she could see was Mrs. Haruno's mutilated corpse sitting in the ground motionlessly. Then she revisited everything.

The screams as the trio had run down the street.

The diadem in Yahiko's hand.

The man with the gun and the knives.

Her scream as she felt the gash on her knee gave her a searing pain.

A loud bang.

Yahiko's shocked gasp, and then the thud as the wet, stone ground hit his dying body.

The flash of bright lights and the sensation of being picked up, but Konan never knew who the one to actually pick her up was.

The hospital and the disgusting smell of medicine.

Nagato's and Jiraiya's worried faces as she woke up after nearly a week of being in a coma.

Reading the autopsy report years later, and discovering that the bullet was aimed for her, but Yahiko had saved Konan with the cost of his life.

These series of events kept flashing threw her eyes, and everything time Konan blinked, all she could see were Yahiko's and Mebuki's corpses behind her closed eyelids.

A wave of nostalgia rushed over her as she heard the sirens from outside, and the rushed footsteps down the hall.

She didn't even know she was crying until Nagato wiped away her tears.

_We now know who discovered the crime, my neighbor and future best friend Konan Tenshi. By this point, my grandmother Tsunade had kept the information secret until the police showed up at her doorstep. _

_But my social life started going downhill 4 years later, when we started middle school, except Tenten of course. By this point, my group of friends had included Tenten, Ino, Hinata, Shikamaru Nara, and Ch__ō__ji Akimichi. _

"Can you believe this? We're stepping up, going to middle school!" Ino squealed as she sat in the food court of their local mall, her platinum blonde hair swinging with her movements.

"It's not that big of a deal, you know. Middle school's just harder and the hallways are just like one huge labyrinth." Tenten stated as she twirled her plastic fork around before stabbing her salad with a grimace. She looked generally bored with the whole conversation as she ripped a piece of lettuce to shreds. Then again, Tenten was the only one at the table who had experience in middle school, as she was already in 7th grade.

"It's just another drag…." Shikamaru yawned as he stretched his arms back and above his head, while next to him, Chōji was eating his third carton of Chinese food.

"What do you mean?!" Ino shrieked, her blue eyes shining to reflect her outburst. "It's _middle _school! All of the cute boys are there! It's the epitome of coolness!"

"Ino-san, you act as if you worship the ground the middle school sits on." Hinata stated and Sakura and she placed down their trays of food at the table. Ino only snorted in contempt as she glared the quiet girl down.

_Ino had never liked how Hinata didn't worship the ground she walked on. But she managed to convince poor, innocent Hinata into it during the middle of sixth grade. And that included ditching that loser Haruno girl. Me. _

"It's true Ino; you do seem to like talking about it so much!" Sakura lightly teased with a small smile on her face as she ate her Japanese food with a delighted look on her face.  
Ino's face slowly turned red, but she quickly stopped it and replaced it with a smile.  
"Now that I actually think about it, you're right!" She exclaimed as she sipped her smoothie in a manner she had seen older girls do it.

"Told ya!" Chōji exclaimed through a mouthful of food, and Tenten cringed as a piece of orange chicken landed in her salad. She silently stabbed it with her knife and then carelessly threw the knife behind her. Not noticing how it landed on a certain table and the individuals at that table now glaring at her.

The six continued to eat in silence, but not even 10 minutes later Sakura spoke up, "Who are they?"

The other fives' heads turned in the direction she was looking at, and Ino's and Tenten's mouths even dropped in surprise.

"Who are those sluts!?" Ino whisper yelled as she glared at the four girls entering the food court.

_The major antagonists of my life had finally graced us with their presences. They probably wanted to ruin my life earlier than expected. _

In the center was a red head with red eyes and obvious red lip gloss on her lips. She wore a shirt that showed one pale shoulder, and her neon pink bra. She had jeans so ripped that so much skin was showing. This was paired with a dog tag necklace and a beaded bracelet.

_Karin. _

The one on the right had sandy blonde hair pulled into a high ponytail with red pre-wrap, and her dark blue green eyes scanned over the food court, as if she were looking for prey to hunt on. She wore a red basketball jersey over black basketball shorts, and she paired this up with red converse hightops with red and black wristbands.

_Sabaku no Temari. _

Finally, we have the one on the right. Sakura immediately recognized her, as they were neighbors for seven years. The witch herself, Guren. Guren wore her hair in her usual high ponytail, and she had the smallest amount of lip gloss applied to her lips. She had a leather vest with fur lining the edges on over green t-shirt and leggings, and she had knee high converse to pull off the look together.

"Who are they?" Ino whispered with a nasty expression face, as if they were something extremely bad. But Sakura knew her well enough that Ino was full of envy and jealousy over these new girls.

"Probably our new classmates." Shikamaru glanced up, and then put his head on his hands. "How troublesome."

All of them watched the trio walk over to a table of boys sitting nearby, and that's when hell was let loose at the table of friends.  
"Look…." Tenten started, but Ino was the one to finish the sentence for her.

"At how hot they are." Ino finished, but Sakura could see that evil gleam in her eye. She knew that look. Ino was going to go after one of them until she got what she wanted.

The four boys the girls were ogling over were handsome, but Sakura didn't see them as her type.

_This was the second deciding factor that tested who really were my friends and who weren't. _

There was a raven headed boy, a blonde boy, a redhead, and brunette with long brown hair. When Sakura looked closer, he looked somewhat similar to Hinata.

"Hinata…who is that pale eyed boy…?" She whispered to her quiet friend who wasn't even paying attention, and when she saw Hinata glance over to that table, Hinata's already pale face had gone paler.

"T-T-That's my cousin, N-N-Neji…." Hinata whispered while fidgeting with her fingers. "W-We aren't in the b-best of relations…especially since he moved back recently over the s-summer….."

Sakura's eyebrows rose when she heard Hinata stutter. Hinata had grown out of that habit since they were 9, unless in worrying conditions.

But something irked Sakura about the brunette and the raven head.

The brunette, as she now knew as Neji Hyūga, had that aura around him. She didn't know how to describe it, but he seemed to take everything as if it were his advantage. That's what one would notice if they were to see him for the first time. Or that's what the perceptive ones would notice, like how Sakura did.

The raven head. That's what bothered Sakura the most. He had that aura that said he was spoiled just from that damned smirk on his face. But he also had that 'I'm better than you' aura basically oozing from him.

Sakura scoffed as she stared at him. She hated people who thought they were more superior to the people around them.

As she was staring at him, she didn't notice him turn his gaze onto her own. Dark eyes stared into her own bright jade ones, and she felt the urge to blink as she stared into them. He sent a small smirk towards her way, but she brushed it off with a scoff and a roll of her eyes. She was much too young to date.

Across their round table, Sakura didn't notice aqua eyes full of hate and envy glaring daggers at her.

_That was one of the biggest mistakes in Ino's and my relationship. _

_When school started up again, it was a whirlwind of classes and new adventures and people. Our small group extended to include Naruto Uzumaki and Neji __Hyūga. _

_Why? _

_I noticed this small detail, and Shikamaru noticed it as well. Hinata and Tenten had major crushes on the two jocks. Both were popular, along with Sabaku no Gaara and Sasuke Uchiha, they ruled our grade level. _

_But Ino couldn't accept the meaning of true friends, and she dragged everything I had known with her. _

Jade orbs opened to another dark, stormy day. Sakura let out a sigh as she realized she would have to walk from Tsunade's house to Kiri middle.

She slowly got ready, and she put on a band shirt, as per usual, but this time it was a 30 Seconds to Mars shirt, and her favorite to add to that. She paired that up with regular black skinny jeans, a dog tag necklace, and combat boots before grabbing her black messenger bag with numerous iron-on patches and pins on it.

"Don't forget your Algebra book!" Tsunade called out as she handed Sakura her Algebra I book.

_I was extremely smart for my age, as I had Tsunade for a guardian, and I followed my muse. As a result of this, I ended up in nearly all advanced classes except World Cultures. I even was able to skip 7__th__ grade Pre-Algebra and got to take Algebra I in my first year of middle school. _

_Moving on with my story. _

Sakura cursed quietly as she ran into the rain, and she looked around, but she didn't see Ino, Tenten, or even Hinata waiting for her.

She frowned, they never went to school without her, and this had never occurred before. Not even back in elementary school when the _incident _happened.

Sakura shook her head quickly. She didn't want to think of that here. Not now. She was just getting better, and there were no more therapy lessons. It was all in the past.

After miserably walking in the rain to school, Sakura noticed everyone staring and whispering at her as she made her way to her locker. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Ino hanging out with the three people she supposedly despised. Karin, Temari, and Guren.

But what broke her heart was that fact that Hinata and Tenten walked up the four of them, they looked at her, and then they all started giggling madly.

_They were so blinded by their crushes on Naruto and Neji; they allowed themselves to be manipulated by Ino. And Ino happened to despise me, and saw me as a threat; so of course, I had to be eliminated to the picture forever. _

Sakura could feel the tears coming on at the corner of her eyes. It was almost as if the wound in her heart had opened up again when they betrayed her. The wound that had taken so long to recuperate when her mother had died.

She turned to her locker and numbly turned the combination lock to the correct numbers. The soft click informed her that she put in correctly, and she slowly pulled out the books she needed.  
But just as she turned around to head into her homeroom, a student with a Coke in their hand ran right into her. The brown liquid splashed down her shirt in small rivers, and she let out a horrified gasp at what was her favorite shirt was now covered in the cola.

"Oh….I'm sooooo sorry Haruno." One Neji Hyūga sneered as he wiped his hand on his jeans. Sakura could only let out a surprised squeak as she heard her former friends' laughter.

It stung like knives to her bleeding heart, and she knew this time the hole in her heart would never recover.

_Let's skip a year into the future, when I was 12 years old, in 7__th__ grade. _

_I remained a top student in my grade, and by 7__th__ grade, we were allowed to pick one of three world languages. I picked Chinese over Spanish and French, due to how I wanted more of a challenge, and it was part of ancestry. My great-grandmother was Chinese, while her husband was Japanese. My Japanese heritage was always so dominant, but now I'm going to change that. _

_But the other students saw this as a chance to pick on me even further. _

Sakura walked down the narrow hallway of Kirigakure middle, enjoying the sound her combat boots made on the hard floor.

It had been a year since she lost her former friends, but with the help of Tsunade, Sakura moved on with her life. She now had a career path in mind, forensic pathology, and she decided she wasn't going to let anyone bother her in school anymore.

_Oh how I wished I kept that mind frame, but eventually my boundaries had to come crumbling down. But the reason why shall be revealed later on. _

Room 132. The exact room she was looking for. Her Mandarin class. Sakura knocked on the door slowly; she knew she was the only student in her grade to choose to take Mandarin Chinese, so she had to take the class with the 8th graders.

She sucked in an unneeded amount of air as she saw the teacher open the door. Oh how she hoped she didn't accidently go to the wrong classroom.

A short woman, and that was saying a lot with Sakura's small frame, with braided black hair and an oval face opened the door with a small smile on her face.

"Nῐ hăo!" (_Hello!_) She exclaimed as she extended her hand out in greeting with a smile.

"Nῐ hăo…." (_Hello….._) Sakura whispered back uncertainly.

"Come in. I assume you are Sakura?" The teacher asked as she led the pinkette inside of the small classroom.

"Yes." Sakura said as she gazed at the class. It was an extremely small class; only five other students were in it. She didn't recognize even one of them.

"Everyone is here now!" The teacher exclaimed after Sakura had sat down. No one dared to respond, but that didn't faze the teacher at all. "Welcome to Chinese 1! This is the first year this school is having Mandarin Chinese, so we have a class of 7th and 8th graders. Please introduce yourself to the class please! I am Xia lăoshī (_teacher)_! You, begin!" Xia pointed at the black haired boy sitting at the end.

"I'm Sai. I'm in 8th grade." He spoke emotionlessly, and Sakura couldn't help but to notice how eerily similar he was to Sasuke Uchiha. She quickly shook her head from that thought, that name was taboo in her head.

The next student went up, a girl with black hair and gentle brown eyes.

"I am Haku Momochi, and I am a 7th grader." Sakura's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. She had thought she was the only seventh grader in the class.

_It was tragic that I never became friends with the quiet girl, since she had moved away to Oregon by 9__th__ grade. _

"I'm Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck!" A girl with an extremely tight green shirt with matching shorts declared, her green curls bouncing everywhere. "I'm in 8th grade!" This was said just as cheerfully and enthusiastically.

Sakura's eyebrows rose at the sight of this girl. She had _green _hair! But they were quickly lowered as she remembered that she herself had pink hair that was natural.

The girl sitting next to her sighed once she realized it was her turn. "Harribel Tier. 7th grade. I just moved here with these two morons." She pointed to the blonde on her left and Nelliel to her left.

"It's not nice to call others names, especially your siblings!" Xia exclaimed as she watched their interactions with wide eyes. All three of their heads shot towards her when she said that and all three pointed fingers at each other at the same time.

"I'M NOT RELATED TO HIM/HER [un]!" All three stated at the same time, causing everyone else watching to go into hysterics.

_Those three became my best friends within my high school and junior high life. Nelliel was the only one who wasn't related, but the two blondes were twins. _

"I'm Deidara Tier. 7th grade." Deidara grumbled and Sakura took the time to closely examine the two twins. Both had blonde hair, but surprisingly Deidara's was MUCH longer. Harribel had green eyes, while Deidara had blue ones.

Ironically, Harribel looked like the male twin and Deidara looked like the female twin.

"Alright then…." Xia stated after blinking a few times at the trio. "And you?" She said while looking at Sakura.

"I'm Sakura." She stated softly, and unknowingly to her, a dark blush adorned her pale face at the attention. When she finished, she felt everyone's but Harribel's eyes leave her. When she glanced over, she saw Harribel's dark eyes boring into her, but she turned her gaze when Xia spoke loudly.

"Wonderful! We all now know each other, so let's get started!" Xia stated brightly while clapping her hands once together.

Sakura smiled. She knew she was going to enjoy this year now.

_And I did enjoy 7__th__ grade, just because of that class. I anticipated Chinese every day, and each day was as fun and exciting as the next. Everyone in that room became friends, but not great friends. Haku kept to herself, and Sai did the same. But Nelliel, Deidara, Harribel, and I became closely knit friends. But in 8__th__ grade Nelliel had gone to high school already. _

_9__th__ grade was the year everything changed once again. _

"What do you think of this?" Deidara stated with a yawn as he threw a piece of paper at Sakura. She caught it halfway and studied it closely. It was an extravagant piece of artwork of a person sitting on a cliff watching a sunset.

"Wow Dei! Did you draw this?" She exclaimed as she handed it back gingerly to the blonde, who was now smirking.

"Nope. Took it from my man Sasori." He stated with another yawn as he stared at his Algebra homework with bored blue eyes.

"What did you steal now?" Harribel mockingly stated as she plopped her black and white striped tote bag on the ground.

"Nothing!" Deidara whined as he glared at his twin with the intensity of a kitten, as Sakura noticed that, causing her to burst out laughing.

"WHAT?" Deidara whined again as he stared at Sakura, who in turn went near Harribel's ear and whispered,

"Did you notice how his glare matched the ferocity of a kitten?" Harribel glanced at her brother, saw him glaring the same way, and then she started chuckling quietly. Deidara saw this and began pouting with his arms crossed, which only caused the two to start laughing even further.

"What's going on here?" Nelliel's innocent voice asked as she opened the door to Tsunade's and Sakura's home.

"Nothing!" Deidara huffed as he stared at his homework once again. "Hey! Who're you!" His statement caused Sakura and Harribel to stop laughing and stare at the guy behind Nelliel who looked extremely awkward.

"Oh right! Ladies and transgendered guy, this is Kisame Hoshigaki! My new boyfriend!" Nelliel squealed with a slight blush, and Kisame grinned to show his somewhat sharp teeth.

"Hello." He said, but then he took a step backwards as soon as Deidara came up to him and leaned up a little too close. "Hey man, what're you doing?" He stated nervously and a bead of sweat fell down his face.

"This moron's 'judging' you." Harribel stated as she pulled her twin away from him as she put to fingers up at the word 'judging'. "I'm Harribel, this is Deidara, and that's Sakura."

Just as soon as she finished saying this, Deidara's eyes widened as he snapped his fingers, and he pointed at Kisame with recognition. "I recognize you! You're in that gang, the Akatsuki! You all are in my lunch period!" This caused everyone else's eyebrows to rise.

"And I recognize you." Kisame stated evenly, and that made everyone's eyebrows rise even further. "You're friends with Sasori. You do realize he's in Akatsuki as well….?"

Much to his shock, Deidara grinned. "Yeah I know. 'Cause he invited me into the Akatsuki."

"What!?" Nelliel screeched as she pulled her adoptive brother by the ear. "You're not joining a gang!"

"Um…..honey, you're in it as well…." Kisame stated awkwardly with an anime style sweat drop going down the side of his face.

"Oh right!" Nelliel stated with a goofy grin on her face.

"Let us join." Harribel stated, and Sakura silently began nodding her head up and down like a bobble head would.

Kisame sighed. "That's not up to me. That's up to Pein, the leader of the group. I can take you guys to the next meeting though."

"Agreed." Sakura stated with a small grin on her face. Harribel and she glanced at each other, and they could easily see the anticipation in both of their eyes.

_I barely knew what I was getting myself into, but now that I think about it, it was the best decision I had made in my life._

_Let's skip ahead to that Friday. The day where we were going to meet up with this supposed 'Pein' and the rest of the Akatsuki. _

"Are you sure about this?" Sakura whispered to Harribel, whose eyes hardened when she said this.

"I'm sure." She stated with a steely look on her face as she pushed accelerate on the scooter.  
"GET BACK HERE!" A voice screamed as the security officer as he chased after the two laughing girls on the scooter thing.

Good thing Harribel was wearing her black gloves that covered her fingers, and the two of them were wearing wigs.

"This is fucking awesome!" Sakura cackled as she blew a kiss to the security officer, who was still chasing them.

"I know right!" Harribel cheered as the two of them high fived each other before leaping of the scooter and running to meet Nelliel, Kisame, and Deidara at the Tier siblings' home.

When they got there, Harribel's mother, Rangiku, opened the door with a drunken grin on her face as she saw the two of them.

_Rangiku always holds a special place in my heart. She was like my third mother, and Tsunade and she were like best friends. They often drank together after they met for the first time. Her husband, T__ō__shir__ō__ tried to get the both of them to stop, but they never did so, much to his chagrin. Seeing their married antics would always bring a smile to my face, as they could cheer anyone up with their antics. _

"They're waiting for you." Was all she said as she stumbled back into her home. Harribel rolled her eyes and Sakura let out a small laugh at Mrs. Tier's antics.

"We've been waiting." Deidara stated in what he had dubbed his creepy voice.  
"Shut up, dimwad." An annoyed Harribel stated as she rolled her eyes again, but Sakura saw the faint smile on her face.

"Let's go already." Sakura stated as she gripped her black messenger, but all that did was jangle her various pins together to make an annoying sound.

"Here's your trumpet." Deidara stated as he threw her instrument at her, startling her greatly, but she still caught it. Deidara grinned when he saw that, and then he proceeded to throw Harribel's oboe at her. She caught it as well, but she glared at him before placing it delicately on the floor.

"Can we go now?" Nelliel stated as she stared at her siblings blankly.

"Sure." Deidara stated as the five of them walked out the door silently.

As soon as they walked onto the so-called Pein's street, a wave of nostalgia hit Sakura. It was her old street, and she could easily see her old home and that same apple tree sitting in the front yard.

Another wave of nostalgia hit when she saw a young girl on a swing tied to the branch she once climbed so valiantly, but this girl had both of her smiling parents pushing her as she giggled helplessly.

A single tear slipped down her cheek, and she felt Harribel pat her on the back when she saw what her friend was looking at.

"It's all right, Sakura." She whispered in her ear as they continued to walk, the others were oblivious to Sakura's pain.

The final wave of nostalgia hit when they arrived at Pein's home.

Sakura immediately recognized it; it was Konan's, Nagato's, and Jiraiya's home.  
This sent her mind racing even further. Who exactly was this 'Pein' then?

Kisame walked up to the door, and knocked exactly eight times.

Sakura held her breath in anticipation as the door seemed to creak open slowly, but she released it when she saw a white haired guy had opened it.

"Kisame, you brought your bitch! And Sasori's bitch came as well! But who are these lovely ladies here?" He smirked, and Sakura immediately felt disgusted by his perverted attitude. But Harribel beat her to the punch, literally.

_Oh Hidan…..I'd never be able to forget that bastard. Literally. But that moment was golden in my book. Hidan and I were always at each other's throats, so this was like the best revenge possible. But, alas, I wasn't the one to deliver it this time. But I still enjoyed it. _

"Asshole!" She muttered as she wiped her somewhat bloody hand on the back of Deidara's shirt.

"Bitch!" Hidan screeched as he hobbled inside clutching his nose. "Oi! Kakuzu! Get in here!" He screamed into the dark house, and then he disappeared through another doorway, seemingly looking for this 'Kakuzu'.

The five entered the house, and then Kisame led them into the living room, where a bunch of unfamiliar people lounged about, all seemingly looked bored at the fact they were doing nothing.

"Kisame…..who are those two?" A orange haired man declared, and Sakura couldn't help but to flinch when she saw his face. It was covered in piercings…..labret, nose, septum….there were so many piercings.

"They requested to join, Pein." Kisame stated evenly as he stared his best friend in the eye.

Sakura gasped when she saw Pein's eyes. They were so familiar, those rings….like Nagato's…

"Nagato….?" She whispered as she stared the boy she once knew so long ago. His ringed gaze moved onto her, and she seemed to get lost in those ringed eyes.  
"Sakura. It's been so long. How are you?" He kindly stated as he gave a warm smile to her.

"Fine…." She whispered as she realized her childhood playmate was now a leader of a gang. And the _Akatsuki _of all gangs as well.

"You may join with one condition." He stated seriously, and Harribel and Sakura perked up immediately.

"What is it?" Harribel spoke up after a moment of silence.

"Go shopping….with _her._" He stated, and the members seemed to shiver in remembrance of their intuitions.

Sakura and Harribel glanced at each other with confusion, but they were interrupted when their arms were tugged on viciously.

Sakura's emerald orbs widened when she looked up to see Konan's vicious grin as she dragged the two of them out while the other members merely stared.

She could only raise an eyebrow as she saw Deidara mouth, "Rest in peace." Her confusion was only fueled when she saw Nelliel laughing and Kisame shaking his head with a small smile on his face.

_I regret not taking those signs seriously now. But I did somewhat enjoy the shopping trip. _

_Let's give you a glimpse of what is was like._

"Try this on!" Konan screeched as she threw a pair of thigh high black boots at Harribel, who only raised an eyebrow with an agitated expression.

"No. This isn't my style." Harribel stubbornly stated as she threw the boots right back at Konan, and in response Konan grabbed both Harribel's and Sakura's arms roughly and dragged them into the Hot Topic right across from the store.

As soon as they entered, they split up into their own domain. Konan went to the jeans section with glee in her eyes, Sakura went to the body jewelry racks, and Harribel went straight for the band t-shirts.

Sakura stared at the labret with lust in her eyes. Oh how she wished she could get a lip piercing, but she was afraid of the consequences. Konan's and Nagato's labret and snakebites looked splendid on them, and she couldn't help but to feel envy every time she laid eyes on their piercings.

Konan walked up to her with skinny jeans in her arms, and she could see her friend's lust as she stared at the metal bulbs. A delicate purple eyebrow rose as she took in the sight of her friend.

"Want a labret?" She asked nonchalantly as she leaned against another rack to her right, but she made sure she didn't tip the rack of septum piercings over.

_That question was what rocked my entire world apart. I was so naïve, but now I know I shouldn't have wanted to scar my body. _

"I…" Sakura began, but she didn't need to say anymore. Konan knew it, and a big grin came upon her face.

"Let's get you one!" She declared with the clap of her hands, and Sakura sighed. It was inevitable now.

"I need to ask Tsunade first." She muttered as she pulled her old phone out.  
"Hello?" Tsunade's tired voice answered after the first ring.

"Hey, it's me." Sakura said gently to her aunt, who sighed when she said this.

"What do you need Sakura? I thought you should only call for emergencies?" Tsunade said, and Sakura didn't notice how weary she had sounded.

_I regret even calling her that day. If only I'd known what had happened specifically that day…..at that exact moment. _

"I'm sorry…..but I wanted if to know if you would let me get a labret…?" Sakura trailed off, suddenly fearful of what her dear aunt would say.

She grew more fearful as Tsunade didn't respond, until she heard a deep sigh come from her aunt.

"I will let you get it, if you truly want it, child." Tsunade's words revealed her true age, but she still maintained that youthful appearance.

"Xiè xiè." (_Thank you_.) She whispered into the phone, knowing Tsunade understood her.

"Bù ke qi." (_Your welcome_) Tsunade said before abruptly hanging up on her niece.

Sakura turned around, only to find Konan gone. She sighed softly as she padded through the dimly lit store, and found both Harribel and Konan paying for their purchases.

When they were finished, Konan turned around and saw Sakura standing right behind them.

"Oh! Sakura! What did your aunt say?" She asked as she gripped the bag in her hand tightly in her excitement.

"She said yes!" Sakura squealed as she jumped up in her excitement.

"Yes to what?" Harribel asked with one blonde eyebrow arched upwards.

"To getting her a labret!" Konan squealed as she high-fived Sakura with a large grin, she truly was happy for her new friend.

Harribel didn't say anything in response, but she arched an eyebrow, no doubt wondering what had happened to the girl she knew who didn't even want her ears pierced. Which was unlike Harribel, who had stretched earlobes with plugs in them, and the same was with her twin brother.

_After I got my piercing, I began noticing subtle changes in my life. _

_I got bullied at school even further; this had increased due to my new labret and my involvement with the notorious Akatsuki. _

_Tsunade and I had slowly drifted apart, becoming even more distant than before. _

_But, when I was 17, I passed my driver's test, and officially gained my license. _

_We are nearing the end of my tale, these were my final moments. _

"Would you mind if killed you?The radio of Sakura's old car blared as she drove from Konohagakure high school to her home on a dark night, as she was coming home from her honor band practice.

"I have been waiting for someone like you, but now you are slipping away!" Sakura whispered along to one of her favorite Within Temptation songs with a small smile on her pale face. It was rare when one of Within Temptation's songs played in Baltimore of all places.

She kept her eyes on the road as she navigated through the empty streets of the suburbs.

Not a soul lingered on the streets, and Sakura couldn't help but to shiver as she noticed this.

It was all so sudden. She could easily assume that the person driving the other car was drunk, but it was too late. They were on a crash collision course.

_It hurts to remember…all of the pain and suffering….._

She could barely register her high pitched scream as the two cars collided into each other, but she never lost consciousness.  
_I wish I died on impact. Oh, but that was a distant dream. _

Tears poked out of the corners of her eyes as Sakura felt the searing pain in the stomach, and she looked down, only to see her bloodstained clothing.

A single tear fell from her eye, just as she had heard someone scream, "LOOK! Oh my god! Call 911!"  
More frantic voices joined in, but none of it was music to Sakura's ears. It was the symphony of death had come to finally grab her in its clutches.

"Why am I still alive?" She whispered, shocking herself that she had the strength to whisper that, but not have the strength to move, or even scream.

Sirens blared in the background, but it was too late. Sakura could feel herself slipping, falling into the black.

She was able to register her being lifted out of the wreckage, and a female scream,

"NO! SAKURA!"  
So distant, yet so familiar, she noted as she fell into the blackness, never to return.

If she could have seen the scene, there was a crowd of civilians watching the pink haired girl being pulled out of the wreckage.

A purple haired woman screamed when she saw her best friend pulled from the wreckage. Her boyfriend, a man with a face full of piercings, held her back with a single tear dripping from his eye. He knew it was too late for his friend.

Konan collapsed on the ground, and Nagato picked her up bridal style and took her away from the scene.

"Why….?" Konan sobbed, her makeup smeared in the process, "We were going to tell her the good news! She had a life, a future ! And it was ruined! WHY?!" She screamed as she punched the seat of Nagato's truck, tears coming full force as Nagato consoled his fiancé.

_I didn't even get to know that Nagato proposed. My time on this Earth had come to an end._

"It was her time….." He whispered as he stared at the cloudy sky, and just as a drop of rain fell to the ground.

At Sakura's home, Tsunade stood in the living room, Jiraiya sitting on the couch behind her. They both watched out the window, looking for Sakura. A ring gleamed on Tsunade's ring finger, but the only thing they were worried about was Sakura's wellbeing.

The phone rang, and Tsunade picked it up. "Hello?"

"Am I speaking to the guardian of Sakura Haruno?" A male, an unfamiliar male, questioned her through the phone.

"Yes?" Tsunade said, her tone suddenly fearful.

"I'm sorry, but Sakura has passed away." The words shook Tsunade's world. She dropped the phone, and fell to her knees. She felt so numb, numb enough that she couldn't even feel the tears falling down her face.

There was nothing left for her. Nothing.

At the Tier residence, it was just another normal night. Rangiku was drinking, Tōshirō was at work, and Nelliel, Harribel, and Deidara were crowded around the television throwing popcorn at the next episode of _Pretty Little Liars. _

The phone rang, and Rangiku picked it up slowly.

"Yes?" She slurred as she swayed in seat.  
"Rangiku…" Tōshirō said slowly from the other end of the line, no doubt he was still working at the hospital.

"Yes honey…?" She sobered up immediately; she could tell this was serious from her husband's voice.

"Sakura's dead." He whispered, no doubt worrying if his children heard.

"How?" Rangiku muttered after a moment of silence as she absorbed this piece of information.

"A car accident. A drunken boy driving, his name's Sasuke Uchiha, crashed with Sakura's car. She died of blood loss, while the Uchiha boy is still in critical condition, but it appears he will make it." He stated, and Rangiku noticed how weary he sounded.

"I'll tell the children. But do you think this will bring up any memories before all of their adoptions?" Rangiku muttered into the phone hurriedly, glancing over her shoulder often.

"No. I'll see you when I get home." Tōshirō said as he hung up the phone, and Rangiku took a calming breath before entering the den.

She grabbed the remote, and turned off the program immediately. Deidara flung popcorn at her immediately, and Nelliel let out a groan of frustration as she slumped into her seat. Rangiku knew that Harribel suspected something from the expression on her face.

"Kids…" Rangiku started, but she couldn't finish. They waited for her to continue speak, and when she did, she let out a small sob.

"Sakura's dead." She put it bluntly, and the reactions were varied.

Nelliel fainted, Harribel let out a choked gasp, while Deidara merely stared blankly ahead.

_My funeral was simple. The Akatsuki had shown up, and surprisingly, Hidan made his final amends to me. Ino and Hinata also made peace with me, and apologized to my tombstone about everything. Poor Hinata had even broken down crying so hard that Naruto had to pick her up and take her home. _

_Sasuke was bailed out from going to jail, but that didn't mean he was safe from Itachi. Itachi was like an older brother to me, and he saw me as a little sister. And it was his brother's fault I died, so they never forgave each other. _

_Konan and Nagato both married peacefully, and had a daughter and a son, named 'Yahiko' and 'Sakura' respectively. They lived in peace for the rest of their lives. _

_Hinata and Naruto married, and both were successful in creating their own company, one that sold ramen. _

_Ino never married, and she claimed it was to honor me, but she stayed close with Shikamaru and Chōji. She became a fashion designer and a gardener in her free time. _

_Tenten and Neji married, but both still hate me after my death. _

_Sasori and Deidara surprisingly revealed themselves to be gay, and married each other. They never lived down to Hidan's and Kisame's jokes, even as old men. _

_Hidan married Guren of all people. Surprisingly, they were a perfect match, but they managed to tame each other. _

_Kisame married Nelliel, and the two lived happily together, to an old age. _

_Harribel carried my honor, and she became a forensic pathologist and anthropologist, in honor of her deceased best friend, but she liked and was dedicated to her work. She met a man named Grimmjow on a trip to New York, and the two ended up marrying years later. _

_Tsunade lived to an old age, and married Jiraiya a year after my death. She never got over my death, but still tried to enjoy life. _

_My father died in prison. That's all I'm saying. _

_Karin was a successful model, and she and Sasuke married. _

_I don't regret my life, or my death. _

_But I learnt something valuable in the end. _

_Life's short, so don't worry about such little things such as looks or popularity. Just cherish what you have, and in the end remember the greatest moments of your life. _

The wind howled as a figure in a black trench coat walked down a snow covered street. A bundle of red roses was held in their hand, and they turned and entered a cemetery.

They stopped next to the bare cherry blossom tree in the corner, and wiped the snow off of a tombstone.

'Here lies Sakura Haruno. She died honorably.' The tombstone read, and the figure let out a small smile recalling their former friend. They set down the bundle of roses right in front of the stone.

"Rest in peace, Sakura. I'll always love you, though I never admitted it." They whispered as they left, and the roses flipped over from the harsh wind once they were long gone.

Not even 5 minutes later, a weasel came and ate the roses.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you thought of this. I want to know if this was good and touching to the heart. There are several themes, such as against bullying and stereotyping. **

**In the end, I wanted to show you how Sakura was broken, slowly built back up, only to suffer once more. **

**I gave a hint at who the mysterious stranger was at the end, slightly obvious with the final line of the story. **

**I based this off of real events from my life, so I kind of based Sakura off of myself. So don't call her immature like, as that was I was like when I was that age. Except high school. I'm not that old yet, I'm only 12, yet writing crap like this. **

**I couldn't help but to add the Bleach characters. I found they made my fantasy of this story perfect when I added them in. **

**Disclaimer: **_**I do not own Naruto, Hot Topic, any mentioned bands/songs, and all I own is the plot. Don't sue me, I'm only a naive 12 year old...**_


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